Flag device for flexible sheets



March 22, 1938. e. s. ROBINSON 2,112,043

FLAG DEVICE FOR FLEXIBLE SHEETS I 7 Filed Jan. 18, 1937 INVENTOR.

Gale 5. Rab/1260a al ATTORNEY Patented Ma. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a flag device for use in connection with sheets of thin material, as paper, which are filed in overlapped relation and the primary object of this invention is to pro- 5 vide a flag device of this nature which is adapted to be applied, in any one of a plurality of selected positions, to the edge portion of a flexible sheet or card or the like so that apart of the marginal portion of such flag will extend beyond the edge of the sheet or card to which it is applied and beyond the edges of adjacent sheets or cards and will be clearly visible, different marginal portions of said flag device being distinctly colored or otherwise distinctly marked or distinctly shaped so that said flag device will provide instantly available information relative to the card or sheet to which it is attached. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a flag device of this type which is made of a 2 piece of very thin resilient material slightly concavo-convex in shape whereby said flag device will lie very close to the sheet to which it is attached, the concavo-convex shape of the flag device serving to maintain the edges of the same very snugly in contact with the flexible sheet or card whereby the danger that the edges of said flag device will catch on the edges of adjacent sheets or on adjacent flag devices will be reduced to a minimum and objectionable bulk and thickness will be avoided.

Another object of this invention is to provide a flag device of this nature comprising a relatively thin resilient flag plate' having substantially radial tongues provided in the central portion thereof for engagement with the edge portion of a thin sheet or card, the inner ends of said tongues terminating short of the center of said flag device and beingseparate from the flag device andrseparate from each other whereby any selected one of said tongue members may be engaged with one side'of a flexible sheet or card while the body portion of the flag device is engaged with the other side of said flexible sheet or card to thereby frictionally grip the card and this naturej'which is neat and attractive in ap-- support the flag device with one distinctively pearance, not expensive to manufactureyeasy to apply to thin flexible sheets or cards, easy to distinguish and interpret when a person is handling a multiplicity of overlapping sheets provided with these flag devices and one which saves time and expense Where large numbers of sheets or cards are being referred to or handled at frequent intervals.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a view in elevation of a flag device constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same substantially on a broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of said flag device showing the same applied to a sheet of paper, a fragment only of the sheet of paper being shown.

Figs. '4 and 5- are sectional views of the flag device and sheet of paper taken substantially on broken lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 3.

Figs. 6, '7, 8 and 9 are views in elevation of four different modified forms of the invention.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

In the use of record sheets which are filed in books or vertically in side by side relation, in the manner frequently employed in handling ledger sheets and cards, it is often desirable to have the different sheets mark-ed conspicuously so that the status of certain sheets may be readily determined by their marking. This form of marking is usually termed flagging. The markers used for this purpose should be readily adjustable or easy to replace and should project beyond the edges of the sheets or cards far enough so that they are conspicuous and easily located. Where a large number of sheets are placed in the same'file it is also necessary that the flagging devices shall be thin so that they will not produce too great a bulk and thickness at the edge of the sheets and it is further desirable that the flagging devices shall be readily applicable and readily adjustable and not liable to be moved accidentally after they are set. This flagging device is simple and efiicient in construction and not expensive to manufacture and meets all of the requirements set forth in the preceding paragraph.

Referring first to Figs." 1 to 5, I show a flag device: formed'of a single piece of thin resilient metal of generally circular shape comprising a rim portion it] having four outwardly projecting flag members in the nature of points ll, l2, l3 and I4 equidistantly spaced around the periphery thereof. The central portion of the flag device is cut away to provide four inwardly extending tongues l5, corresponding in radial portion with the flag members ll, l2, l3 and I4, and to leave four openings it between said tongues IS. The flag member is dished slightly so that it is of concavo-convex shape as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5. This dishing of the flag member makes it fit very closely to a flexible card or sheet l! to which it is applied. Obviously the size of the flag device and the extent to which the same is dished may be varied. I find that a satisfactory flag device for use on ledger sheets is provided by making the same approximately one inch in diameter and by dishing the same approximately one thirty-second of an inch.

Each flag member or point ll, I2, I3 and I4 is marked in a distinguishing way. This may be done by providing a different color on each point. Also the color used on a point may cover the adjacent tongue and rim portions. In Figs. 1 to 5 I have used line shading to indicate the colors red, blue, green and yellow on flag members ll, l2, l3 and I4. Distinctive colors may be provided only on one side of the flag device or they may be provided on both sides. Also the four colors on one side may be different from the four colors on the other side. Each color may be applied to substantially one fourth of the device, as in Fig. l, or the color may be used only on the points, see Fig. 7, hereinafter described.

The flag device is applied to the edge portion of the sheet or card I! by placing the concave side of the flag device against one side of the sheet ll, engaging the end portion of one of the tongues I5 with the other side of the sheet or card IT and pushing the sheet into the flag device or the flag device over the sheet until the sheet is firmly gripped frictionally between the tongue and the other portions of the flag device with the top edge of the sheet extending through two of the clearance openings, as shown in Fig. 3. When thus applied, one flag member extends beyond the top edge of the sheet and is clearly visible even though the sheet is overlapped by other sheets, as in a file. The angular position of the flag device on the sheet may be very quickly and easily changed to display a different flag member by disengaging the flag device from the sheet, turning said flag device part way around and re-applying it to the sheet. The flag device is reversible on the sheet and sheets may be reversed with flags thereon. The openings I6 provide clearance and avoid sharply bending the paper and help to maintain a minimum thickness. Openings It also relieve strain in the paper and prevent the flag device from being held away from the paper due to strains set up by sharp bends in the paper.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a flag device which is the same as the flag device shown in Figs. 1 to 5 except that the flag members ll, l2, l3 and I4 thereof are marked with distinctive characters, as with letters or numerals or both, instead of with different colors. As the flag device of Fig. 6 is otherwise the same as the flag device of Figs. 1 to 5 the parts are correspondingly numbered. The points of the device of Fig. 6 may be cheaply made by stamping processes.

In Fig. '7, I have shown a modified form of flag device which is similar to the flag device shown in Figs. 1 to 5, except that said device is externally circular and does not have points thereon but is provided with three flag sections [8, l9 and 20 painted or otherwise marked thereon and with three tongues 2| positioned radially inward from the flag sections. Also in the flag device shown in Fig. 7, the flag sections are formed by small spots of color as shown by shading while in the flag device shown in Figs. 1 to 5 the color covers the tongues l5 and rim portion ID as Well as the points.

Fig. 8 shows a modified form of flag device in which the several points 22, 23, 24 and 25 are made of different and distinctive shapes to convey different information relative to the sheets to which the flag devices are attached. These distinctive shapes of points may be very easily and cheaply provided at the time the flag devices are stamped out.

In Fig. 9, I have shown another modified form of the invention in which I provide a flag device having six points 21 and six corresponding tongues 28. Also the device shown in Fig. 9 is of a generally hexagonal external shape.

It will be understood that the shape of the flag device and the number of points thereon may be varied at will and are not to be limited by the illustrations used in the accompanying drawing. It will also be understood that these flag devices may be made flat and plane although it is found that they fit much more snugly to the paper when they are made of slightly concavo-convex shape as shown and hereinbefore described.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawing clearly show a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a flag device of the class described, a slightly spherically concavo-convex flag plate of thin flexible material; a plurality of distinctive flag members provided at spaced intervals on the marginal portion of said flag plate; and a plurality of integral resilient tongue members provided in said flag plate inwardly from the respective flag members, said plate having relatively large triangular openings provided between said tongue members, said tongue members extending toward the center of said plate and being positioned so as to cooperate with said plate to releasably secure said plate to the edge portion of said flexible sheet with one of said flag members extending beyond the edge of said flexible sheet, said relatively large triangular openings between said tongues afiording ample clearance "for the edge of a sheet passing therethrough thereby avoiding sharp bending and bulking of said sheet at the location where it passes through the flag device.

2. In a flag device of the class described, a flag plate of thin flexible material; a plurality of distinctive flag members provided at spaced intervals on the marginal portion of said flag plate; and a plurality of integral resilient tongue members provided on said flag plate in substanspherically concavo-convex shape to thereby lie closely against said flexible sheet.

3. In a flag device for use on flexible sheets, a slightly spherically concavo-convex flag plate of thin flexible material having a continuous marginal rim portion; a plurality of distinctively displayed flag members provided at spaced intervals on said marginal rim portion; and a plurality of relatively narrow tongue members integral with said marginal rim portion and extending substantially radially inwardly from the respective flag members and terminating short of the center of said flag plate, said flag plate having openings provided therein between said tongue members, said tongue members cooperating with said flag plate to receive therebetween the edge portion of a flexible sheet whereby said flag plate may be removably secured to said flexible sheet in diflerent positions with different flag members of the flag plate selectively visibly displayed beyond the edge of the flexible sheet.

4. In a flag device of the class described, a flag plate of thin flexible material; a plurality of distinctively marked flag members protruding out wardly beyond the marginal portion of said flag plate; and a plurality of integral resilient tongues in said flag plate inwardly from the marginal portion thereof radially aligned with said flag members and extending toward the center of the flag plate, said plate having openings provided therein between said tongue members and said tongue members at their inner ends being separate from said flag plate and separate from each other whereby the edge portion of a flexible sheet may be inserted and frictionally held between any selected one of said tongues and the flag plate with the distinctive parts of said flag members positioned beyond the edge of the sheet and clearly visible from both sides of the sheet.

5. In a flag device of the class described, a flag plate of thin flexible material; a plurality of flag members of different distinctive shapes protruding outwardly from the marginal portion of said flag plate; and a plurality of integral resilient tongue members in said flag plate inwardly from the marginal portion thereof radially aligned with said flag members and extending toward the center of said flag plate, said flag plate having openings provided therein between said tongue members and the inner ends H of said tongue members being separate from said plate and separate from each other whereby the edge portion of a flexible sheet may be inserted and frictionally gripped between any selected tongue member and portions of the flag plate with the distinctively shaped parts of said flag members positioned beyond the edge of the sheet and clearly visible from both sides of the sheet.

GALE S. ROBINSON. 

